Microapartments

Microapartments are living spaces under 500 square feet. Alex Muniak has a 450-square-foot apartment in one of New York City's hottest neighborhoods. With the help of a designer, Alex was able to maximize every inch in his tiny one-bedroom home by adding curtains, removing doors and creating extra storage space in every nook and cranny.

In Alex Muniak’s apartment, the pale blue curtain separates the kitchen from the living area.

Alex's designer, Alejandro Aguilar, is a specialist in microapartments: his home is a mere 184 square feet. While this is a closet for most people, Alejandro has maximized his space with multifunctional furniture, a hidden office and a loft bed.

Painting custom floating shelves the same color as the wall makes the shelves in Alejandro's kitchen seem as if they aren’t there at all.

Can’t build out? Build up! Aguilar made good use of the 15-foot ceiling in his apartment by adding a loft bed over part of the living area.